Field
The described embodiments relate to techniques for dynamically adapting wireless communication among electronic devices.
Related Art
Many modern electronic devices include a networking subsystem that is used to wirelessly communicate with other electronic devices. For example, these electronic devices can include a networking subsystem with a cellular network interface (UMTS, LTE, etc.), a wireless local area network interface (e.g., a wireless network such as described in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, which is sometimes referred to as ‘Wi-Fi,’ or Bluetooth™ from the Bluetooth Special Interests Group of Kirkland, Wash.), and/or another type of wireless interface.
A variety of environmental conditions can adversely affect wireless communication. For example, interference from signals transmitted by proximate electronic devices and multi-path signals can significantly degrade communication quality. This degradation can cause reduced data rates.
However, not all of the communication channels among the electronic devices may be concurrently or equivalently affected. For example, a connection between two electronic devices in a wireless network (such as a Wi-Fi connection) may be adversely affected while the communication quality of a cellular-telephone network may be unaffected. Nonetheless, because communication via Wi-Fi is often essentially free (while communication via the cellular-telephone network is not), many electronic devices are designed to continue using Wi-Fi even though an improved communication alternative is available. The resulting slow and, more generally, poor communication performance degrades the user experience and is frustrating to users of electronic devices.